Chapter 639: Volcanic Secrets
"?!"
Hibiki and Beatrix were both wide-eyed at the scene and Evan repeated his earlier words with a laugh.
"You get stabbed."
Arthur looked at the blood spear, then back at the group.
"Let’s just wait until she’s back to normal."
Agreeing, they settled down a short distance away, snacking and chatting idly as they waited. For the next hour, they relaxed, occasionally glancing at Crim as she continued her cultivation, the negative energies still swirling around her.
Suddenly, a surge of energy emanated from deeper within the cave and Arthur turned just in time to see Crim achieve Superior Stage Legendary.
The energies swirling around her settled, fading into a calm hum as her breakthrough was completed.
A minute passed, and then Crim’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times, taking in the sight of the others watching her, and then her face lit up immediately as her gaze landed on Hibiki.
"Hibiki!"
She shouted with excitement before leaping up and rushing over to embrace her. The two friends hugged tightly, Crim squeezing Hibiki with a joyful laugh.
Arthur, watching the reunion unfold, crossed his arms.
"That’s the last of the reunions."
Crim finally let Hibiki go and turned to the others as she spoke
"Looks like you guys found each other already."
"Yup, all here."
Beatrix raised her hand like she was answering a roll call and Evan gave her a thumbs up, while Arthur congratulated her on her new breakthrough.
"Congrats, superior legendary."
"Yeah, thanks."
Before any further conversation could take place, a loud rumble interrupted them—Crim’s stomach growling.
She blinked in surprise, her mouth forming an ’O’ as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
"I may be a tad bit hungry."
As she admitted this, her gaze instinctively shifted to Hibiki. Then, almost as if catching herself, she looked toward Arthur and silence hung between them for a moment as Arthur raised an eyebrow, confused by her sudden shift in focus.
"Arthur, do you have divinity?"
Crim asked this in a serious tone and though Arthur was caught off guard by the random question, he answered with a nod.
"Yeah, I do."
"As I thought. It might smell sweet, but I’d probably kill myself if I tried it."
Crim’s eyes lit up in realization while Hibiki, frowned in confusion, glancing between Crim and Arthur.
She knew Arthur was a godslayer, but divinity? That was the power of the gods. Her thoughts swirled as she tried to piece it together.
Evan, noticing her confusion, patted Hibiki’s shoulder and shook his head.
"Don’t think too hard about it."
Crim chuckled at this, turning her attention back to Arthur as she spoke.
"If you’ve got divinity, then you’re off-limits. Asking for a bite would be a death sentence."
"What are you even talking about?"
Arthur, still bewildered, tilted his head, however, Hibiki caught on immediately.
"Wait... were you planning to—"
"Uh-huh. I’m starving. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday."
The teen Vampire nodded eagerly and Hibiki’s brow twitched in annoyance as she folded her arms.
"Crim, you’re a higher vampire. You’re perfectly capable of eating normal food."
Crim’s face fell, her expression turning sulky as she crossed her arms, evidently dissatisfied.
"Yeah, but it’s not really nutritious for me."
Hibiki gave her a deadpan gaze while Arthur and Evan exchanged glances, both of them noticing the subtle changes in her appearance.
Each time she spoke, her fangs seemed to lengthen slightly, and the red in her eyes deepened, swirling with a hunger that was becoming harder to ignore.
Hibiki caught on quickly, her brow furrowing in concern.
’How is she this starved after just a day? She must’ve used up a lot of energy fighting those devils...’
Without hesitation, she grabbed Crim’s hand and began pulling her deeper into the cave, her tone firm but gentle.
"I’ll deal with this girl."
As they disappeared into the shadows, Arthur and Evan exchanged knowing looks.
"So, could it be Yuri?"
Evan asked but Arthur shook his head.
"No, it can’t be Yuri. Remember, Hibiki’s in a dual cultivation sect. Dual cultivation needs Yin and Yang, not Yin and Yin."
Though he saw the sense in Arthur’s words, Evan still seemed contemplative.
"True, but still, it’s possible. And honestly, that’s a pretty nice sight to see."
They shared a mischievous look, but their conversation didn’t go unnoticed. Artemisia and Beatrix had been quietly observing from the side, and now they both turned toward the boys with matching expressions of exasperation.
"There’s no context to your words, but somehow I feel like I understand exactly what you two are getting at."
Beatrix shot them a sharp glare, her eyes narrowing as she spoke and Arthur responded with a smile.
"Of course, you do."
"Yeah, it’s perfectly normal to ship Crim and Hibiki together. Same way I’d ship you two if I didn’t know that Beatrix had the hots for Alvey."
The moment Evan mentioned Alvey, Arthur nodded in agreement, his tone playful.
"Yeah, if someone didn’t know Beatrix was straight and just saw the way she clings to Artemisia, you’d think she was—"
But before he could say more, Beatrix cut him off sharply.
"Let’s STOP right there!"
She already knew where this conversation was going and wanted to end it before it began.
"Arty is my best friend, okay? A best friend is completely different from a crush! The guy I’m in love with is Alvey. Arty is my BEST FRIEND. Are we clear on this?"
The boys chuckled, raising their hands in mock surrender as they spoke in unison.
"We clear."
But the way they glanced at her afterwards made it clear they didn’t completely believe her. Beatrix opened her mouth to protest again, but Artemisia interjected.
"When will you realize they’re just messing with you?"
Beatrix froze, her eyes narrowing as she processed Artemisia’s words. Meanwhile, Arthur and Evan quietly took a step back, clearly trying to escape before Beatrix’s realization hit.
The moment she understood, a scowl darkened her features, but before she could retaliate, Crim and Hibiki re-emerged from the shadows.
Crim’s expression was one of pure satisfaction, while Hibiki looked just a shade paler than before.
Arthur gave them both a once-over, eyebrow raised.
"You didn’t suck her dry, right?"
Crim blinked, then gave a light laugh.
"Huh? Oh, no, don’t worry. She’d collapse if I did that."
Arthur glanced at Hibiki, whose complexion seemed to confirm Crim’s words, before turning back to Crim. Her fangs had retracted to normal, and her hunger seemed to have faded, but Hibiki looked at her with a small frown.
"...You still have some blood on your lips."
"Where?"
When Hibiki pointed it out, Crim moved slowly, deliberately, licking the blood from her lips with a languid, almost teasing motion.
It also didn’t help that she maintained eye contact with Hibiki the entire time, as though savouring every second.
At the sight, Arthur and Evan’s eyes widened, their heads snapping toward each other.
"CrimBiki or HibiCrim?"
Arthur asked, his voice hushed with excitement and Evan, still stunned, responded.
"I was team HibiCrim before, but now? Team CrimBiki for life."
The two girls turned to them, confused by the sudden exchange, while Beatrix, realizing what they were talking about, simply sighed.
Then, she smacked the backs of both their heads, clearly not in the mood for their antics.
Crim didn’t fully grasp the meaning behind their comments, so she ignored them and cleared her throat, focusing on what she originally wanted to say before her stomach interrupted.
"Anyway, you guys must’ve noticed the energy concentration increasing the deeper you’ve come into the mountains."
"Yeah, it was hard to miss."
Arthur nodded and Crim continued, explaining.
"That’s because of a volcano nearby. There were a few Infernal Devils guarding the area, but you probably saw their corpses outside. I managed to use compulsion on some of them before gouging out their eyes and I found out what they were there for."
She spoke about gouging out their eyes as if she were casually mentioning the weather, but the group wasn’t fazed by this, not after the corpses they’d seen outside.
"Turns out, that volcano is a dungeon. The Infernal Devils are using it to terraform this area, making it more suitable for their kind. The dungeon’s the key to their plan."
"What’s special about this dungeon?"
Evan asked, his curiosity piqued and Crim responded with excitement in her eyes.
"Aside from double experience and a lump sum at the end? Completing it guarantees you’ll unlock a new skill when you step onto the magic circle in the final room.
Oh, and one more thing—it grants a temporary power surge, a boost to all your abilities for a full week. Perfect if you’re preparing for tougher fights."
Hearing her, Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"How many Infernal Devils did you... talk to, to get all this info?"
"As many as the letters in my name—four."
Crim grinned, holding up two peace signs over her eyes and Arthur couldn’t help but laugh when he got the message.
"Sounds like we’re in for an interesting trip. But let’s rest for now."
Hibiki nodded in agreement, her demeanour lethargic, for rather obvious reasons.
"We’ve done enough for today. Let’s head to the dungeon in the morning."
Like so, the group, reunited, settled to rest as the night deepened.
